


Siege

by LiterallyThePresident



Series: Connection [4]
Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: I tried to go a more ‘humor mixed with minor angst’ vibe for this one, Sleep Deprivation, The other Vexos are mentioned as well, more of the vestals worrying, with added Volt being confused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21765052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: A siege means that humans become sleep deprived. The vestals see what that looks like
Series: Connection [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566988
Comments: 8
Kudos: 83
Collections: Humans Are Space Orcs





	Siege

Normally when the Vexos attempted to drive them underground with nonstop attacks and challenges, it wasn’t a big deal. It was irritating, sure, tedious and stressful and time-consuming, but usually weathered without too many issues. Sieges were a small bump in the road to those who needed little respite. 

But now they had humans to consider. Humans who needed hours of inactivity each night in order to remain healthy, hours they now couldn’t get because every minute was a new problem that required their attention. The humans had been unable to sleep for two and a half days now, swamped with crisis after crisis, and Mira could see that it was affecting them, despite their assurances that it was alright. Dan was slower than usual to grasp ideas, and he seemed to be having difficulty standing still without either swaying or leaning on something. He would sometimes be caught staring off into space, and it would take a few tries to get his attention, much to their concern. Marucho had been irritable and temperamental since day two, and he seemed unable to focus on things he usually found easy, such as math and calculations. This only seemed to upset him more, and just this morning he’d snapped at Mira before realizing what he’d done and hastily apologizing, looking ashamed. Even Shun, usually so put together, was suffering. He was quieter than usual, and his attention seemed scattered. He would sometimes pause in the middle of sentences as if he’d lost his train of thought, and forget the word for things like datapads and jackets. Their emotions seemed out of balance too, with Shun having trouble concealing his feelings as he usually did, Dan shedding tears at minor inconveniences before angrily wiping them away, and Marucho’s testiness. 

It pained Mira to see her friends so out of sorts. She’d privately wondered what would happen if sleep was denied them, but she’d never wanted to learn like this. She would have asked, no,  _ demanded _ they go sleep, but the Resistance needed them awake, needed their input and firepower. They were besieged on all sides at all hours, and despite their weakening cognitions, the humans could still hold their own in a brawl. 

Even if they were starting to lose more battles than they won. 

Mira truly began to worry after three days passed without them sleeping. She had handed Dan a gate card for him to examine, and he’d stared at it for a few moments like he wasn’t sure what to do with it before he blinked and seemed to remember what it was. He’d done what she asked without further issue, but that brief moment of utter blankness had shaken Mira. And it was only getting worse, if Ace and Baron’s worried murmurs were anything to go by. Marucho had lost three battles in a row now, and Shun had apparently been mixing up Baron and someone named Julie, and stuttering over his words. Mira got the distinct impression that it wouldn’t be long before the humans weren’t any help at all to them.

“We need to wrap this up soon.” Ace said to her on day four, shoulders tense and gray eyes tight as he glanced at where Baron was holding a very one sided conversation with Marucho, “I remember Shun telling me that day four or five without sleep is when things like hallucinations start.”

“Hallucinations?” she asked in a horrified whisper, and he nodded grimly.

“We need to think of a way to end this siege fast.” he said, “If we don’t, they’re gonna drop and we’re gonna be down half the team.”

“I’ll think of something.” she assured him, reaching over to quickly squeeze his hand, giving a tiny smile, “I might already have the beginnings of a plan.”

On day five, her plan began to form with greater urgency, as it was on day five that Marucho finally collapsed. He’d been drowsily talking equipment upgrades with Baron when his eyes slipped shut and his knees buckled without warning. Baron caught him with a shout that brought the others running. Mira and Ace immediately darted over to make sure he was okay, but Dan and Shun only sighed sympathetically. 

“He‘s crashed.” Shun murmured, kneeling to pick him up with exceeding gentleness, careful of his head. Marucho was out like a light, not even a twitch as he was manhandled and carried like a child in Shun’s arms, and Mira began to understand the human expression ‘to sleep like the dead’. It was worrying, but the humans didn’t seem overly concerned. As Shun carried Marucho to bed, Dan tiredly assured them that Marucho was fine, that his body had just been unable to go any longer without sleep and forced a shutdown, so to speak. Marucho would be fine. He’d sleep for a day or so and then be back to his usual self. Mira worried about how much harder their work would get with Marucho down for the count, but Dan promised that he and Shun would take on Marucho’s share without complaint. And to their credit, they did. Even Dan, although it was likely he was too exhausted to complain. 

Six days without sleep, Dan ‘crashed’ as well, albeit in a less spectacular fashion. He’d sat at the table across from Ace for a quick lunch, and a moment later he’d fallen face-first into his food, and nothing could be done to wake him. Shun had carried him to bed as well, not a word passing through his lips, and Mira was alarmed to see that his arms were trembling slightly as he took Dan’s weight. To see a man of such strength struggle with a weight he usually held without issue, Mira was more than a little weighed down in spirit. She knew then that they didn’t have long before Shun succumbed to sleep as well, and that they had to move fast. He had already started taking second glances at shadows and corners, squinting as if not entirely sure he’d seen something or not. 

She and the others contacted the Vexos immediately after, offering a truce. Spectra preened and played up his arrogance, as usual, but Mira could see the weariness in the lines of his shoulders. While the Vexos had landed some blows on them, the Resistance had given as good as they got, and they’d reached a reluctant deadlock in the past few days. A lighter side of sleep deprivation, Mira had learned, was that it lowered human inhibitions. The more tired they became, the less patience they had for the rules and conventions of battling. A characteristic jab from Lync had annoyed Shun enough that he’d let loose a torrent of venomous words and insults, verbally attacking him and his entire life to the point that Mira swore she’d seen tears in Lync’s eyes. Marucho had made some very rude gestures at Mylene and Shadow, as well as some name calling more vicious than usual, and Dan had actually thrown a physical punch at Gus Grav, hard enough to send the man reeling, resulting in a physical altercation with Spectra that Gus and Ace had to break up.

In short, the siege had grown tiring for both parties, and Spectra reluctantly agreed to a meeting to negotiate. They agreed that Volt Luster would be sent to speak with them, but only to two of them at the max, and that the conversation would be monitored the entire time with Vexos backup waiting nearby at Volt’s call in case things turned sour. Mira elected to have Shun accompany her, despite his deteriorating state of awareness. He was still able to think and reason, and she needed his unique output and diplomatic manner. Shun agreed readily, his face exhausted but still full of steely determination.

Negotiations with a Vexos was not an ideal situation, but at the very least Volt Luster was more honorable than most of his teammates. He was polite when he arrived, if a little cold, but Mira was gratified to see the quick, almost concerned glance he sent Shun’s way before hiding it behind the mask of stoicism. Shun didn’t seem to notice, but then again, Mira would be surprised if he noticed anything that wasn’t glaringly obvious in his current state. His eyes were slightly glazed over, his head lolling just a little despite his best efforts, and he kept pinching his arm harshly as if to stay awake. She wondered if it was normal to use pain as a way to hold off sleep, but she didn’t get a chance to ask.

“Gus is real mad about the black eye.” Volt said in lieu of a greeting. His face was stern but it was hard to mistake the slight respect in his eyes, “Let’s get this over with. You lay out your demands and I’ll lay out ours.” And so negotiations went ahead, more civil than even Mira had expected. Volt was firm but not unreasonable, and he seemed to have some empathy in his brainwashed little hearts for the little people. At one point, he asked Shun’s opinion on one of his conditions, but Shun didn’t answer right away. His eyes were closed, and Mira thought for one frustrated moment that he had crashed as well, but a nudge from her had him inhaling sharply and snapping his eyes open. 

“Shun?” she murmured with veiled worry, and Shun quickly rubbed his eyes in the way she now knew indicated fatigue. 

“Sorry?” Shun blinked, “Sorry, drifted for a second. We were talking about patrols, right?”

“Yeah. About ten minutes ago.” Volt said suspiciously, “Are you... good?”

“Human thing.” Shun waved, “Ignore me. Continue.” Volt did as he asked with some reluctance, his eyes occasionally darting over to Shun with some mixture of curiosity and apprehension. To Shun’s credit, he didn’t ‘drift’ again, his eyes remaining firmly open and focus as clear as he could manage. Even if his pinches had become hard enough that Mira half feared he’d draw blood. 

“So that’s it then?” Shun asked as the negotiations drew to a close, neither side completely satisfied, but both willing to agree, “All’s well that ends well?”

“If that saying means ‘temporary draw for now’, then yes.” Mira smiled, and Shun nodded. 

“Fucking fantastic.” he said with a weary sigh, and without another word he fell across Volt’s lap and crashed. Volt looked startled, pale eyes going wide as he looked to Mira for an explanation, his hands hovering as if he wasn’t sure whether or not to touch Shun. 

“What in the name of the stars is going on with this guy?” Volt asked incredulously, “Is he sick? Is he gonna get _me_ sick?” Mira pressed her lips together to hold back a laugh, 

“It’s a human thing.” she said carefully, not wanting to give away a potential weakness to the Vexos, “He’s just passed out, that’s all. He’s been sick the past few days. All the humans have been.”

“Is it contagious?” Volt asked, trying gingerly to push Shun off his legs without dumping him on the floor, and Mira appreciated his consideration.

“No.” she chuckled, “But it’s why they’ve been so mean these past few days.”

“Yeah, no kidding. This guy made Lync cry.” Volt said dryly, “And Shadow ranted for hours about the little blond pipsqueak that kept insulting him.”

“And Gus’ black eye, as well?” she asked, eyes twinkling, feeling safe enough that Volt wouldn’t turn violent to joke, “You know, we actually had to hold Shun back from physically attacking Spectra as well.”

“You did?” he asked with a raised eyebrow, and Mira noted to herself that his hand had come to rest on Shun’s shoulder almost absently. He didn’t seem to notice, but he was holding Shun’s shoulder like one would a sick little brother, and Mira wondered idly what kind of family background Volt came from.

“Yes. He was going to knock him out and shave his head.” she grinned, and Volt blinked for a moment and then threw his head back to laugh brightly.

“Why did you stop him?” he laughed, looking younger than she had ever seen him, and she was hit with the sudden reminder that Volt and the others Vexos were just people, in the end. Just like them. 

“Because we got a little preoccupied by the fistfight that broke out between Dan and Spectra after Gus got punched.” she laughed, “But maybe we’ll let him do it when he wakes up.”

“I would literally sneak him into the castle if he did.” Volt said with a slight smile, “I mean, I wouldn’t really, but I would consider it. I would definitely cheer him on from the sidelines, though. I think we all would. Except maybe Gus.” Volt stood then, gathering Shun into his arms and lifting him easily. He raised an eyebrow as if to say ‘what the heck do I do with him?’ and Mira gestured for him to give him to her. She took Shun from him without effort, his head resting on her shoulder, and the two of them stood before each other for a moment before nodding curtly.

“Resistance.” he said after a moment, his face closing a little in a way that told her that the time for pleasantries had faded away, “I will see you on the battlefield, I suppose.”

“I will see you there, Vexos.” she said in response, giving him a nod before turning her back on him and leaving, listening to him do the same behind her. She carried Shun back to the Base, her mind filled with thoughts and plans and hopes, but most of all, relief that the siege was finally over. 

When she got back, Ace and Baron were waiting. They cried out when they saw Shun’s limp form held in her arms, but she was quick to assure them that he was simply asleep, that Volt hadn’t harmed him. She relayed the events of the negotiations with them as she walked inside, and their raucous laughter at the story didn’t disturb Shun at all. She laid him on the couch and draped a blanket over him, taking a moment to just look at him. His face was soft and slack in sleep, all the stress and tension from the past six days gone, and he looked so much younger than be did when he was awake. She wondered if he was dreaming.

“So.” Ace said from beside her as Baron fussed over Shun, adjusting his blanket and smoothing his hair the same way he had done for Dan and Marucho, “Maybe we try not to do this again.”

“Yes.” she agreed, “Although, Volt Luster did say we have his support should Shun decide to go through with his threat to shave Spectra’s head.” Ace’s grin was blinding, and she could practically see the gears turning in his mind.

“You know, I think that’s not a bad idea.” Ace said, eyes bright with mischief as they finally allowed themselves to relax.

**Author's Note:**

> Can you tell Shun is my favorite lmao?


End file.
